All Bad Things Must Come to an End
The E60 is dead. That's the best news I have heard from BMW. Thanks to bungling Bangle, the E60 ruined an almost perfect line-up of the 5 series produced by BMW. Each and every model from the 5 series range had a distinctive personality; they were sports executive saloon cars except the E60 which is a piece of crap. How BMW was ever convinced by Bangle to produced the E60 is beyond my imagination. No E39 owners, if they were of sound mind and body switched to the E60. Those who did regretted their actions. I know because every ex-E39 owner who drives an E60 now says the E60 is crap. The multitude of problems from the active steering to unfathomable electronic problems is enough to drive one mad. A friend's car has been sitting in the authorized workshop for the last 5 months because the car has a habit of shutting down without a warning. Then, the replacement car given to him has a knack for wanting to jump off the block, of course, without a warning. The E60 is a dangerous car. It is made so cheap so that masses of people who always wanted to drive a 5 series can now do so. That has never been the spirit of the 5 series. It was designed to be a top-notch car for people who does not want to drive the common 3 series and finds the 7 series too cumbersome for spirited driving. Call me a snob and whatever you want but 5 series owners had a certain style and charisma. They know exactly what they want in their 5. A picture speaks a thousand words...
The F10 looks great. In fact, in some literature I read, the F10 was designed to follow the spirit of the E39. BMW realized that the E39 had a very good following and decided the lines of the car should somewhat remain coherent with the 5 series family. Screw Bangle and his bungling lines. Keep the 5 series simple and endowed it with good and practical engineering. If you look at the interior of the F10, you would notice the I-drive knob is chucked to the side of the gear shift. It no longer holds a central place in the interior. Face it, you should not be fiddling around with a stupid knob when you are driving. Especially in a 5 where pace is somewhat higher given the right driver.
Its great that BMW has come to their senses and made the new 5 series F10 quite an awesome car with the range of engines from the 550i to the 535i. Lets hope they don't make the same mistake and cheapen the 5.
posted by gabey @ Friday, April 16, 2010
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